Lentil Meatless-Balls & Spaghetti

A healthy and equally delicious twist on a true favourite. Here is a recipe Lentil Meatless-Balls & Spaghetti

A classic but simple dish that offers a comforting sense of home. This particular recipe can be enjoyed by meat lovers and vegetarians alike. Try them with the recommended spaghetti or in a sub-roll. If you leave out the marinara sauce then they work brilliantly raw to top off a salad.[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Lentil Meatless-Balls & Spaghetti – – – [/wpurp-searchable-recipe]

Method

Cook Spaghetti according to packet instructions.

Meanwhile, put all of the meatball ingredients (keeping aside the lentils) in a food processor and blend into a coarse meal. Lastly, microwave the lentils for 1 minute to soften and add to the mixture and either blend until the lentils begin to smooth out or use the back of a fork to mash it all up.

Scoop out the mixture, 1 tbsp at a time and roll into firm balls in the palm of your hands (you can wet your hands to stop them sticking). This should create approx. 12 balls.

In a pan heat the oil on a low-medium heat, add all the marinara ingredients and keep on a very gentle simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the meatballs to the marinara and allow the sauce to heat the meatballs, gently move them around the pan and cover with marinara sauce. Cook for a further 5 minutes on a gentle simmer.

When ready, drain the spaghetti and drizzle a little extra oil through it to help keep separation.

Serve the meatballs over the spaghetti with a few scoopfuls of the marinara sauce.

Top with freshly chopped basil, nutritional yeast flakes or cheese of choice and enjoy.

* Wilt fully and pat dry any excess water with a non-fibrous tea towel/kitchen roll. I often use frozen kale balls; microwave for 1 minutes and use some kitchen roll to absorb any excess liquid.

** I found Merchant Gourmet packets of lentils work best, they have good flavour but most importantly they’re not too silky or watery in consistency, whereas tinned lentils can be a little too smooth to create the right consistency. If using tinned lentils, drain, pat dry and blend until smooth before adding to the meatball mixture.